Freeman win caps emotional week

Olympic champion Cathy Freeman ended an emotional week doing what she does best, where she feels most comfortable.

Freeman made light of wet conditions at the A-Series track meet in Melbourne on Saturday to win the 400 metres in 52.17 seconds.

A week that started with the news that her three-and-a-half-year marriage to American Nike executive Sandy Bodecker was over ended with yet another 400m victory, albeit against modest opposition.

Freeman's winning time was quicker than the 52.54 she ran to win her only previous 400m this year in Perth last month, although it was still short of the 51.37 qualifying time for the Paris world championships in August.

That will come, perhaps as soon as March 22 in Sydney.

"This kind of feeling I had tonight just makes me look forward to racing against the best in the world," said the Sydney Olympic gold medallist and two-time world champion.

"I was looking forward to an improvement on Perth and I must admit I was a bit sceptical because of the niggle in my quadricep.

"Physically, I'm intact but more importantly, just emotionally and mentally I'm ready to get on with it.

"I feel this is my escape... on the exterior I'm quite a passive little thing but once I'm out there competing I have that edge."

Lauren Hewitt completed the women's sprint double while dual Manchester Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jana Pittman, experimenting with a new stride pattern, won the 400m hurdles in 54.64 and was still almost two seconds clear of second placegetter Rebecca Wardell of New Zealand (56.58).